


Chaos and Coffee

by k0dapup



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, literally just misadventures of gay people working at a coffee shop idk what else to say, this is v self indulgent sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26604550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/k0dapup/pseuds/k0dapup
Summary: gay people in a coffee shop what will they dothere is a plot it is just very silley,, genuinely writing this for me and like a handful of my friends
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, Amami Rantaro/Tojo Kirumi, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Gokuhara Gonta/Shinguji Korekiyo, Iruma Miu/Yonaga Angie, Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 12
Kudos: 85





	1. "I would like you to meet Tenko Chabashira"

“Yumeno.”

The red-haired girl almost jumped out of her skin as the lanky figure of her boss seemed to materialise beside her. The mysterious man blinked down at her with those intense, cat-like eyes. She mentally groaned, wondering what she had done this time - Shinguji rarely made an appearance for anything good. 

“Nyeh?” She mumbled, somewhat apprehensively.

“I have a task for you of the utmost importance.” He hummed beneath the mask he always wore. “I am pleased to announce that you have a new coworker, and I would like you to make sure she is properly oriented during her first week of employment with us.” he continued. Himiko barely followed the overly complicated string of words, having to translate it to normal person speak in real time.

“So train a newbie?” she gave a heavy sigh, not bothering to mask her annoyance. “Nyeh, got it.” She couldn’t hide the fact she was disgruntled by the request. She barely had the energy to stay awake most of the time - being responsible for a whole other person seemed like such a pain. 

“I have faith that I have made the correct selection.” He gave a tsk of laughter. “I would like you to meet Tenko Chabashira.” He bowed slightly, turning to the door of the break room. As if on cue, a rather gangly looking girl practically bounced out to greet her.

The first thing she noticed was that she was tall - much taller than Himiko. She had to crane her neck to get a proper look at her. Long black hair tied back into two messy braids, a toothy grin and bright green eyes that bore into hers so intensely she had to quickly look away again. She mumbled a greeting, extending a hand out of politeness. The stranger took it and shook it much too enthusiastically, making her flinch slightly. 

“I’m Tenko Chabashira!” The girl announced loudly as if Shinguji hadn’t already introduced her mere seconds beforehand. “But you can just call me Tenko! I can already tell we’re going to be best friends, I’m so excited to start working here!” Himiko gave her the best polite smile she could muster, teeth gritted. Tenko sure was loud, to put it politely. 

“Welcome, I guess.” She mumbled back. “You can call me Himiko.” 

This was going to be a long week.

“Well, I will leave you to it and retire back to my personal quarters.” Shinguji hummed gleefully. “As you know, opening is in thirty minutes, so please show Chabashira the ropes before then, if that's an achievable goal for you, Yumeno?” Despite his long-winded speech pattern, Himiko didn’t miss the scathing tone.

“Yeah, no problem.”

She wasn’t stupid. She knew full well he’d assigned her this overexcited puppy of a girl as a personal dig at her low energy - a punishment of sorts? She’d been berated over it enough times, and she knew the only reason he didn’t fire her was that at the end of the day, she was reliable and always got the job done, despite lacking the ideal cheery smile and sense of urgency he wanted. 

He melted back into whatever shady villain lair Himiko imagined such a character to reside in, just as stealthily as he appeared. The silence that settled didn’t last long.

“So what first? This is so exciting!” Tenko burst out, shifting from foot to foot where she stood. Just watching her was making Himiko tired. “You know, I’ve always wondered what the inner workings of a coffee shop are. It all seems so mystical from the other side of the counter, but now I’m part of this world! Teach me all your barista secrets!” She demanded, dramatically pointing a finger directly at Himiko.

“We don’t really have any secrets. Sorry to break it to you.” Himiko huffed, pushing tenko’s hand away lightly. “People order drinks. We make drinks. We give the people the drinks.”

“A process I am determined to master no matter what!” Tenko chirped brightly, seemingly unphased by Himiko’s cynicism. 

“How about we start with a tour of the place?” Himiko begrudgingly asked. She glanced at the clock, knowing Kaede would show up any minute to open up shop for the morning. 

“It would be an honour!” Tenko gasped. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“Nyeh, alright. Well, obviously this is the counter.” she shrugged. “This is where we’ll be like all the time. Out there is no man’s land.” She pointed at the seating area, currently empty and quiet. She narrowed her eyes. “A godless expanse only the brave soul allotted to table duty should venture.” Tenko gasped and nodded as she paid close attention to Himiko’s half-hearted instruction. 

“Back here is the best part of this dump. The break room is our safe zone, no annoying customers to drain our life force.” She explained as she led Tenko into the dingy little area. It wasn’t very impressive - a table, a few rickety chairs and a small fridge, but it was her favourite place to be by far. “But those stairs over there are totally off limits.” She pointed to the winding staircase in the furthest corner, dimly lit and leading into complete shadow. “That’s where Shinguji’s office is, god knows what you’d find up there.” she shivered at the thought.

“That’s the manager dude, right?” Tenko tilted her head. “I don’t trust him.” She added, lowering her voice to a whisper as if she was scared he’d hear her from upstairs - a worthy fear to have, if you asked Himiko.

“Not many people do.” She agreed. “But it’s more a ‘you don’t bother him, he doesn’t bother you’ kinda deal. You’ll be alright.” She gave the other girl a halfhearted smile, who blinked down at her with bright eyes, a slight blush dusting her cheeks. Himiko looked away again quickly, instinctively brushing a strand of hair behind her ear somewhat awkwardly.

“Last but not least, the store’s through that door. It’s honestly kinda freaky in there. A lot bigger than it looks - a lot bigger than a storeroom should be. One of the place’s many mysteries.”

“Mysteries? You don’t mean like, ghosts and stuff?” Tenko gasped, wide - eyed. 

“God, you sound like Kaito.” A singsong voice came from the doorway. Himiko gave a sigh of relief as she turned to see the familiar sight of Kaede Akamatsu. She looked as good as always, despite how early it was, with her radiant smile and slightly wavy golden hair falling around her shoulders perfectly, seeming to glow slightly in the weak morning light. She tilted her head at Tenko curiously. “Don’t tell me you’re scaring the new girl with your ghost stories already.” She chuckled. 

“Nyeh, morning Kaede.” Himiko gave the first genuine smile of the morning. “This is Tenko Chabashira. Tenko, this is my friend Kaede.” she introduced the two of them. Tenko all but bounded over, shaking Kaede’s hand enthusiastically. 

“Hi! Pleased to meet you! I can’t wait till we’re best friends!” She exclaimed loudly. Kaede laughed with glee. 

“Oh my god, you are just adorable!” She beamed, patting Tenko’s cheek gently. The dark haired girl’s face lit up bright red, stunned into silence for the first time that morning.

“I’m n-not adorable.” She stammered, fumbling her hands together as she glanced down at the floor.

“Sure you are!” Kaede affirmed, completely unphased, or perhaps oblivious - Himiko couldn’t tell. “I’ll open up! I’ll be fine by myself for a while if you wanna run Tenko through some of the drink menu or something.” She hummed. 

“You’re a lifesaver, Kaede.” Himiko gave her a thumbs up as she disappeared back off towards the front of the shop. Tenko was seemingly still in recovery from receiving a compliment, Himiko giving a small cough to bring her back down to earth. 

“Is she always so nice?” Tenko mumbled as she flopped down into one of the rickety chairs around the breakroom table beside Himiko.

“Oh, always. Kaede’s like a literal ray of sunshine, just without the like, unbearable heat that kills you.” Himiko shrugged. “You get used to it after a while.”

“What are the rest of the people like who work here?” Tenko asked curiously. “I hope they’re all as nice and pretty as Kaede is.”

Himiko gave a snort of laughter. “Rantaro’s cool, but the boys aren’t as pleasant. Hate to break it to you - well, I guess Shuichi is cool as well.”

“Boys?” Tenko hissed, sounding almost angry. “Boys are the worst! But Tenko will not be defeated, even if I must work with degenerates!” Himiko could barely hold back her laughter at the melodrama of it all. 

“Well, I’d hardly call any of them degenerates.” She rolled her eyes. “Except Kokichi maybe.” she quickly corrected herself. “He’s a piece of work. Consider him the final boss.”

“Does he bother you often?” Tenko gasped.

“I guess. But he bothers everyone. That’s kind of his thing.” She shrugged.

“Then I will destroy him!” Tenko declared. Himiko couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

“Calm down, it’s not that serious.” She shook her head. “But yeah, there’s Rantaro, Shuichi, Kokichi and Kaito. Kaito’s kinda annoying and loud, but he’s pretty chill otherwise.” She assured the amped up girl.

“If Himiko says that they’re ok, I will accept them begrudgingly.” Tenko grit her teeth as if she was taking a great defeat by even uttering the words. 

“Alright.” Himiko gave a huff. “Now that that’s over with, it’s time for you to start studying this.” She pulled out a hefty booklet, sliding it in front of the girl. Tenko cautiously turned the first page, staring in disbelief at the sprawl of words and pictures found there. 

“Studying?” Tenko blinked.

“That’s this place’s bible - all our drinks and recipes, written by Shinguji himself. Don’t worry, it’s all fairly surface level once you cut out all the Shinguji-speak bullshit.” She hummed. “I’ll leave you to read that for half an hour or so, then you can come assist up front for a while, if that’s alright?” She asked.

“I won’t fail this task! You can count on Tenko!” She nodded back excitedly, flipping open the booklet and furrowing her brow in concentration. Himiko didn’t really see it as a task that could be failed, but she shrugged and left her to it.


	2. “Ok, but do you even know her name yet?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> does a little dance

“So, what do you think?” Kaede asked excitedly, barely audible over the screech of the steamer. Himiko blinked at her blankly.

“What do I think about what?” She mumbled.

“The new girl!” Kaede rolled her eyes. “Tenko, right?”

“Oh.” Himiko huffed. She didn’t really know, she realised. “She’s loud.” She finally settled on an answer. 

“Yeah, but she’s pretty sweet too, isn’t she?” Kaede tried to push, much to Himiko’s annoyance. Why did it even matter to her?

“I guess she’s enthusiastic.” She narrowed her eyes. “I just wish that Shinguji picked someone else to show her around. She’s a lot, and I’m not exactly bursting with energy or anything.” She groaned.

“You know that’s exactly why he gave you the job.” Kaede pointed out with a smirk.

“It’s still annoying.” 

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have fallen asleep at the counter when you were meant to be on lockup duty.” Kaede deadpanned. 

“It happened once!” Himiko tried to defend herself. She glanced down at the cup of plain black coffee she had finally poured and smiled. This was her ticket to escape this conversation. “Hey, this is your girl’s order, right?” She pointed out. “You should take it to her.”

Kaede’s face lit up pink, her turn to get flustered and huffy. “Shut up.” she muttered. “She’s not my girl.” Himiko rolled her eyes. “But thanks, I guess.” Kaede took a deep breath in preparation as she took the drink from her friend, checking her reflection in the murky surface of the espresso machine before she spun around and headed for the counter. 

“Here’s your coffee, just how you like it!” Himiko watched as Kaede practically purred, leaning across the counter to push the drink into the hands of a stunningly pretty young woman with long, dark hair pulled into twintails and burning crimson eyes - the intensity of which frightened Himiko even from this distance. The mysterious woman was wonderfully terrifying, but her bubbly blonde friend didn’t seem the slightest bit phased. 

The stranger’s face barely changed as she muttered what Himiko assumed to be a thank you, gazing quietly at Kaede with what could only be described as utter indifference. She winced slightly, feeling for her friend’s predicament, but as Kaede bounced back towards her there was nothing but glee lighting up her face.

“Did you see that?” Kaede gasped.

“Did I see what?” Himiko tilted her head in confusion. 

“She totally smiled at me!” Kaede insisted. 

“Nyeh? That was a smile?” She couldn’t help but snort. 

“It was, trust me.” Kaede was deadly serious. “I like, know her by now, you know? It was subtle, but it was there!” she declared proudly. 

“Ok, but do you even know her name yet?” Himiko raised an eyebrow. Kaede’s face grew red with frustration.

“Shut up!” she pushed her playfully. “Don’t you need to go and check on Tenko anyway?” she grumbled. Himiko bit back an ill tempered response. She’d almost entirely forgotten. 

She shuffled back to the break room, to see Tenko hanging off the chair upside down, legs kicking in the air as she seemed to be staring at something on the ceiling. The menu was discarded on the table, clearly given up. Himiko couldn’t blame her to be honest. 

“Ah! Himiko!” The girl gasped as she spotted her. “I promise I was focused on your task, I was just taking a minute to think about all the useful information I learned!” she insisted nervously. Himiko gave a snort of laughter. As if she really cared if she read the stupid book or not. 

“Calm down, it doesn’t really matter anyway.” she hummed. “Just protocol and all that, y’know?” she motioned for her to follow. “You learn most of it on the job anyway, so come help me and Kaede out for a while.” She paused to think for a moment. “Actually, just try and stay out of the way and watch what we do instead, alright?” she quickly changed her mind, not wanting to unleash Tenko into the wild like that just yet. 

“Of course! Anything you need, just say the word and Tenko’s on the job!” Tenko barked excitedly. 

When Himiko had told her to watch carefully, she hadn’t expected her to take her instruction so literally. She was acutely aware of Tenko’s sharp gaze on her as she went about the routine she did everyday, the stress of it all making her even more clumsy than she normally would have been. 

She let out a distressed squeak as her sweater sleeve caught a cup handle, the mug beginning its descent towards certain shattering. Tenko was faster however, snaking out a hand to catch it just before it reached its impending death.

“Woah.” Himiko huffed, face lit up with embarrassment. “And uh… thanks.”

“No problem!” Tenko seemed overjoyed to have done something to help, colour rushing to her cheeks in a light blush. “I’m always happy to help out girls in need!”

“You wanna see how to make a simple latte?” Himiko asked suddenly, to which Tenko nodded happily. “Alright, c’mere and watch.” she hummed. She was hardly a skilled teacher, but tenko’s overeager will to learn helped to balance that out. 

She ran her through the basics as best she could, pointing out the functions of all the buttons on the little machine. “S’easy really, you just gotta know what to press.” she told her. She took another cup from the stack beside the machine, gently pushing it into Tenko’s hands. “Give it a try.”

Tenko nodded, thoroughly focused on the task at hand as she cautiously pressed at the buttons. She froze for a moment, staring at the three options as if it were the world's hardest math equation, With a sigh, Himiko gently guided Tenko’s hand to the final button, setting the machine into spluttering motion.

“Easy enough, right?” she let herself smile for a second, which Tenko returned with her own wide grin. 

“First drink celebration!” Kaede gave a cheer, making Tenko blush furiously as she was wrapped up into a famous Kaede hug suddenly. “You’re doing great so far!”

“Hey, what’s the special occasion here?” a familiar loud voice called from the doorway. There stood a tall man with messy purple hair that seemed to defy gravity in the way it sat, his signature purple jacket slung casually over one shoulder. By his side stood a shorter man, all dressed in loose black clothes, long bangs drooping into his face messily.

“Hey losers!” Kaede called fondly. “Come and meet the new gal! Tenko, this is Kaito and Shuichi.” she beamed cheerily. Tenko, however, was not smiling as she stiffly greeted them, all that pep and enthusiasm seeming to melt away all of a sudden. 

“Wow, are we free already?” Himiko asked, glancing at the clock. Shifts seemed to drag a lot more than that usually. 

“Hell yeah we are! Have fun with the lunch rush boys.” Kaede pouted as she petted Kaito’s unkempt hair playfully. He grumbled and shoved her away light heartedly, which made Himiko giggle slightly. She and Kaede nodded knowingly at each other as they headed for the back door, when Himiko suddenly remembered Tenko.

“Oh, do you wanna come with?” she offered politely. “We normally get lunch together on a Monday.” Tenko’s enthusiasm seemed to switch back on like a lightbulb as she bounced over with a happy shout. Himiko started to regret the decision already. 

“Girl’s lunch!” Kaede cheered. Between the two of them, himiko didn’t know if she’d survive this outing. “It’s nice to have another gal around, y’know?” Kaede continued, linking her arm with Tenko’s. “I love my boys, but man, can they be annoying.” she added in a whisper. Tenko gave a giggle.

“The company of girls is always a blessing!” Tenko confirmed, the two falling into bubbly conversation. Himiko was more than happy to trail a few steps behind, giving her time to clear her head as they headed out down the quiet street.


	3. “Ok, perhaps a little violence.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short chapter but angie has entered the chat

Himiko stumbled through the door of the messy little apartment, barely making it to the couch before flopping down, defeated. In true Kaede style, she’d insisted on giving Tenko a proper welcome, and so lunch had turned into afternoon shopping, and afternoon shopping a trip to the park. Himiko had been trailed along for the ride as the two chatted away, seeming to thrive off having someone to match the other’s energy level. 

Himiko, however, was drained. She closed her eyes as her still lagging brain scrambled through the events of what should have been just another boring Monday morning shift. She deduced that Tenko was the root of it all. 

She was still unsure of how she felt about the girl. Sure, she was friendly enough, and her and Kaede got along like a house on fire, but Himiko couldn’t help but feel she was perhaps a little too fiery for her liking. Why she wouldn’t say she enjoyed her job, she had appreciated the peaceful atmosphere the little coffee shop previously provided, and now Tenko had come tearing through her introvert’s paradise like a bullet. 

“Oh, so you didn’t die after all! Praise be!” a melodic voice rang from above her. Himiko cracked one eye open with a hiss, seeing her roommate Angie hovering over her with that ominous, much too cheerful smile she always wore.

“M’tired,” Himiko groaned, willing her roommate to leave her alone, but of course she’d have no such luck, the artist motioning for her to make room on the couch for her. Himiko knew better than to try and ignore Angie, shimmying across with a grumble of protest. 

“Well, you can’t sleep yet!” Angie chastised her. “You know that if you go to sleep now, you’ll end up oversleeping and then-”

“I’ll feel worse tomorrow and fall into an unhealthy sleep cycle and my whole life will be ruined. I know.” Himiko finished the sentence for her. She’d had that particular lecture enough times now to know the script. Angie gave a pout.

“Sleep is no joke! It is a highly overlooked issue.” she insisted. “I’ll make us dinner, how about that?” she asked cheerfully. 

“You can’t cook.” Himiko deadpanned.

“There’s a microwave.” Angie shrugged. 

“Angie, you can’t just put things in the microwave and call it dinner-” she tried to sigh, but the other girl had already hopped the back of the couch and disappeared off into the kitchen.   
“Anyway, you’re late back today.” Angie called over her shoulder. “What’s the occasion?”

“Shinguji hired a new girl, and of course Kaede had to give her the new friend ceremony.” Himiko sighed. “Can you believe he had the audacity to put me in charge of training her?” she gave a snort. “Won’t let me lock up alone anymore, but somehow I’m qualified enough to train an entire other person. Alright.” 

“Ok, but is it really that big a deal?” Angie raised an eyebrow. “You said yourself that job’s like, insanely easy, right? Can’t be that much of a setback.”

“You haven’t met this girl.”

“Oh, is she hard to get along with?” Angie enquired. “You know that if she gives you a hard time I won’t hesitate to kill her.” Even after all this time, the way Angie’s tone never changed from that upbeat singsongy voice no matter what it was she said still scared Himiko slightly.

“Not really.” Himiko sighed. “She’s not like, mean or anything. She’s just… intense?” The statement was more of a question. “It’s kinda like trying to train an overexcited puppy.” she hummed thoughtfully.

“So she is like a dog, and you are more a cat person! I see now!” Angie chuckled. 

Himiko heard the microwave give a loud ping, and Angie returned to the couch with two plates of… something. Himiko wasn’t sure if it could be called food, but she couldn’t be bothered to enquire what the mystery dish was as she started to pick at it. 

“Would you like me to stop by tomorrow on my lunch break and make sure that she knows to not bother you?” Angie asked, a dangerous glint in her eye. 

“No violence, please.” Himiko warned or. “Or threats of it.” she added as Angie looked like she was about to complain. 

“Not even towards Ouma?” Angie gave a pathetic whine. 

“Ok, perhaps a little violence.” Himiko rolled her eyes. “Feel free to drop by, but please behave. I’ll even sneak you a smoothie.” she offered. Angie seemed more than happy to accept the bribe.

“Alright, alright, you’re the best Himiko!” she squealed, pulling her in for a bone crushing hug. 

“I know.” she grumbled, finally freeing herself from her friend’s death grip. “Can I please go to sleep now?”


	4. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but today is Ouma day.”

“Gooood morning Himiko!” the red haired girl almost choked on her coffee as she shuffled through the store’s front doors to see Tenko already perched on the counter, legs swinging in the air happily. She looked just as upbeat as she did the day prior, despite the clock reading just after seven in the morning. 

“Nyeh, morning.” she grumbled back, walking straight past the other girl to start on her opening shift tasks behind the counter. She didn’t miss the way Tenko deflated slightly at her flat greeting, and she couldn’t help but feel a little bad. “How’d you even get in here before me?”

“The manager dude let me in.” Tenko just shrugged. “I was waiting outside when he showed up about half an hour ago.”

“You showed up to work half an hour early?” Himiko blinked in disbelief. 

“I wanted to make a good impression!” Tenko blushed slightly. Himiko didn’t respond beyond an amused grunt.

Tenko proceeded to hop off the counter and follow her around like a lost puppy, watching everything she did with what seemed like great interest. Himiko didn’t say a word as she worked, occasionally sipping from her flask and hoping that the caffeine would work its magic soon. 

“Is there anything I should do?” Tenko finally broke the awkward silence, voice sounding uncharacteristically unsure. What Himiko assumed to be guilt pricked at her again, not meaning to make the enthusiastic girl uncomfortable with her early morning apathy. 

“You could stack the cups from the dishwasher I guess?” Himiko shrugged, pointing to the other side of the work area. “It’s over there.” She forced a small smile, which was apparently enough to put the pep back into Tenko’s step.

“I’m on it!” she shouted, hurrying over to start on the given task. Himiko watched in awe for a few seconds as the girl set about her assigned job at top speed, completely absorbed by the menial task. She shook her head and went back to cleaning out the machine filters. 

“All done!” Tenko announced proudly, reappearing beside her with a triumphant grin plastering her face. It had been less than five minutes, and Himiko was taken aback slightly. 

“Damn.” was all she could say as she gave the area a lookover - all clean and in perfect order. “Well, looks like we’re done. Opening’s not for another twenty minutes, so we can just chill till then I guess.” 

“Is Kaede coming in today?” Tenko asked excitedly.

“Unfortunately not.” Himiko gave a sigh. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but today is Ouma day.” she gritted her teeth. While Tenko’s unexpected presence in her life wasn’t exactly a gift, she was glad to at least have another person to suffer through the deadly Tuesday morning shift with her.

“You called?”

Speak of the devil.

Messy dark purple hair, that offensively bright all white outfit topped off by the oversized checkered scarf he always wore - he dressed like a clown, and appearances didn’t lie when it came to Kokichi Ouma. He was a notorious prankster, and not the funny kind if you asked Himiko. 

“Why the long face?” he pouted.

“You must be the degenerate Himiko warned me about!” Much to Himiko’s surprise, Tenko suddenly bounced forwards, planting herself between the two of them protectively. 

“Degenerate?” Kokichi gasped dramatically, hand clasped to his chest. “I’m hurt!” He pulled his best ‘sad baby’ face, the one that pissed Himiko off to no ends. “Who even are you? You let this loser in off the street or something, Himiko?” his facade changed to mischievous instantaneously. She saw Tenko’s fist clench at her side. Uh oh. 

“This is Tenko, she’s new here.” Himiko huffed. “Just leave her alone, Ouma.” 

“Leave her alone? If I remember correctly, she’s the one who called me a degenerate first.” he shrugged with a grin. “I’m simply returning the favour.”

“I can’t be bothered to deal with the two of you beating each other up all morning, so please just work it out outside of here, alright?” she hissed, fixing them both a warning glare. “I have to open, so can we all just be functional for the next four hours? Please?” she groaned. 

Neither side seemed to want to back down, but finally Tenko let out a deep breath and nodded, Kokichi following suit, much to Himiko’s surprise. 

She took a breath to steady herself as she went to turn the sign, the uneasy tension in the air already making her feel on edge. She had a feeling Kokichi wouldn’t make it through this shift unpunched, and while normally she was the number one advocate for Ouma violence, she feared for the repercussions that might befall her coworker.

She’d just have to keep the two of them apart. That would be her mission for the day.

“Alright. We’re open.” she barked as she returned to the counter, unusually assertive. “Ouma, you take the orders. I don’t trust you to make drinks again after you switched the tea water with Gatorade last week.” she pointed directly at him as he grinned smugly, still proud of his dreadful prank. “Tenko, you’re on drink duty with me. Are we clear?”

“Geez, who died and made you manager?” Kokichi mumbled. 

“Ouma, don’t.” she snapped. 

“Fine, fine. You truly are no fun, you know that?” he whined. She chose not to respond, instead ushering Tenko as far away from him as physically possible. 

The tall girl was deadly silent, eyes burning with fury until Himiko reached out to touch her arm softly. All the rage melted away in an instant.

“I know he’s a lot, but you got this, alright?” she assured her. Tenko’s face lit up in a smile, blush dusting her cheeks again.

“Thank you Himiko! Every one of my instincts is telling me to punch that degenerate into oblivion, but if it’s what Himiko wishes, Tenko will stay calm.” she promised sincerely, giving a huff. 

“Nyeh, thanks, I guess.” she felt oddly touched by the remark. “I’ll do all the talking to him, you just pass me what I ask for, alright?”

The little system she had put in place was oddly effient, despite Kokichi trying to pull his usual tricks. Over her time working here, she had mastered the art of fake order detection, seeing through Kokichi’s lies with expert precision.

Tenko had mostly behaved as well, doing a good job of ignoring Kokichi’s taunts. Himiko could tell she was bothered by the way her hands tensed, gripping too tightly on cup handles, almost breaking them in her death grip as she assisted her. A commendable effort for someone with so little Ouma handling experience.

“Home time!” Kokichi suddenly announced aloud as soon as the clock struck twelve, midway through taking an order. The disgruntled customer stammered in shock as Kokichi tossed aside his work apron on the spot, hopping the counter in true Kokichi fashion with a cheery goodbye wave. Himiko gave a hiss, rushing over to apologise, but thankfully the customer didn’t seem too upset.

She whirled around to start making the drink as quickly as possible, only to see Tenko already holding out the cup with a smile.

“You’re a lifesaver.” she breathed, hurrying over to deliver the coffee with another round of apologies. She truly wondered why Shinguji didn’t just fire that little bastard. All he did was cause problems. 

“Sorry I’m a bit late.” A soft voice called from behind her, and she was relieved to see that familiar mop of light green hair as she spun on her heels. “Got myself into quite the adventure on my way in today.”

“I bet.” Himiko smiled fondly. While Tuesday mornings brought the terror that was Ouma, the afternoons made up for it with Rantaro Amami. The two of them got along well, their calming nature and neverending catalogue of stories livening up the sleepy hours after lunch.  
“You headed for lunch?” they gave a grin. 

“Yeah, me and Tenko. You two haven’t met before, have you?” she signalled Tenko over, who was regarding Rantaro with suspicion. Himiko couldn’t really blame her after the Ouma experience, but she genuinely hoped the two of them would get along. Rantaro was probably one of her closest friends next to Kaede and Angie. 

“A pleasure.” they nodded, messy locks flopping over their eyes as they held out a friendly hand to the cautious girl. Tenko took it and gave a polite nod, seeming to relax slightly. “Ah, customers are coming.” they glanced at the door as it rattled open. “Go eat, I’ll hold down the fort.”

Himiko thanked them again before trailing Tenko after her, retreating to the safety of the break room.

“I invited my roommate to eat with us today, hope you don’t mind.” Himiko gave her coworker the heads up, which Tenko assured was no problem whatsoever. Himiko couldn’t help but feel nervous that the two would butt heads, however, each girl being intense in their own right.

She’d find out soon enough.


	5. “Is she allowed to do that?” “No, but she does it anyway.”

“Goooood morning!” Himiko didn’t have much time to think as Angie suddenly appeared at the break room door. She did a double-take, her best friend looking like she’d just committed mass murder, but much to her relief she realised Angie was just characteristically splattered with paint. 

“Angie, how’d you get back here?” she mumbled. “And it’s not even morning?” 

Her questions went unanswered as Angie gazed straight past her, locking her sights on Tenko. Himiko could see that all too familiar judgmental stare, and it worried her slightly. While Angie could be a literal angel, if she deduced a stranger had bad vibes she could just as easily bring hellfire down upon them - problem was,Himiko could never quite understand what constituted 'bad vibes' in Angie's books. 

“So you must be the fabled coworker!” Angie’s eyes glinted as she approached Tenko like a cat tracking down its prey. 

“Tenko Chabashira! Pleased to meet you!” Tenko beamed back, sticking out a hand. Angie simply stared her down for a moment, before brushing past the girl, heading right into the break room.

"Oh, I'm not one for such formalities." she simply chirped as she made herself at home, taking a seat and throwing her legs up on the table with overly familiar confidence. Tenko seemed somewhat hurt. 

“Is she allowed to do that?” Tenko whispered to Himiko as she stared at the eccentric artist. 

“No, but she does it anyway.” Himiko sighed. She opened up the little fridge, rummaging around to find the overpriced smoothie she had stashed in there earlier. Thankfully there were no signs of Ouma-tampering from what she could see. 

“Thank you!” Angie beamed sweetly as she slid the drink across the table. “Soooo.. where are we headed?”

“Where can you afford?” Himiko blinked.

“Hmm… from my calculations, approximately nowhere!” Angie hummed with a smile.

“Then it looks like we’re staying here. I’ll grab us something, go find a table out of Shinguji range.” She shooed her friend away with a heavy sigh. Angie apparently didn’t understand the meaning of the word subtlety, skipping through the prep area as if she owned the place.

“You good?” Himiko asked Tenko, who had grown quiet. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Just hungry.” she perked up again. “I put my lunch in the fridge earlier thankfully!” she beamed. 

Oh no. 

“Or maybe not.” There it was - Tenko defeatedly held up what Himiko assumed used to be her lunchbox, now filled to the brim with what she could only hope was ketchup and nothing more nefarious. 

“Ouma.” Himiko sighed knowingly. “I should have warned you in advance. Rule number one: invest in tamper proof containers.” She advised her, patting her on the back in an attempt to console her. “Don’t worry, Rantaro will throw us something to eat.”

“Is that allowed?”

“Technically not, but Rantaro won’t tell. They’re cool like that.” Himiko shrugged. “C’mon, we should probably find Angie before she sets something on fire.”

Tenko nodded, but Himiko didn’t miss the defeated look in her eye. Something told her it wasn’t just over her lost lunch, but she didn’t want to push the issue. Instead she headed back out, whispering to Rantaro as she hovered beside them for a moment.  
“Slip us something, stealth style.” she grinned. Rantaro recoiled in faux shock.

“You criminal! What would Shinguji say?” they gasped dramatically, but an added wink signalled they would. Himiko nodded in appreciation, hurrying Tenko off to find Angie. Rantaro had already thrown a handful of leftover pastries onto a plate at the other end of the counter, and Himiko swept them up in one practised swipe.

Sighting Angie in the back corner, Himiko picked up the pace. The cheery artist waved and shouted a greeting as she spotted her, completely shattering any semblance of secrecy Himiko had managed to create. 

“God, do you want to get me fired?” Himiko groaned, shouldering her friend aside as she settled down beside her in the sheltered booth. Tenko hovered for a moment, before awkwardly seating herself across from the two of them, not seeming to know where to look. 

“Lighten up!” Angie grabbed a pastry, shoving the whole thing into her mouth unceremoniously. 

“You’re unbelievable.” Himiko shook her head as she grabbed one for herself, nibbling at it in a much more civilised manner. Her eyes found Tenko again, who was meekly picking at her own food. 

“Thought you said she was loud?” Angie raised an eyebrow, pointing at Tenko as if she wasn’t there. Himiko wished she could melt away. She knew this was a bad idea, yet she let it happen anyway. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Tenko flushed, trying to put on a smile. Angie just hummed. 

“Anyway, glad to meet you.” Angie pointed at her again in an almost threatening manner. “For real. As you may know, I am Angie Yonaga - yes, _the_ Angie Yonaga, world famous artist.” she beamed. 

“Oh, you’re famous?” Tenko gasped, wide eyed. “I’m not all too familiar with the world of art, but I am honoured!” 

“She’s not famous.” Himiko cut in, fixing Angie with a glare. “She’s not even out of art school yet.” she added as Angie crossed her arms with a huff. 

“Boo! No fun!” Angie wailed. “Tenko didn’t know that, you could have just let me have this one, you know?” she pouted. “But watch this space and remember that name! Soon you will see it in the most prestigious galleries all across the globe, and you will have the honour of saying, ‘Hey! I knew her during her humble beginning!’ And I will say, ‘Yes! Those are my good friends Tenko and Himiko, who I will now allow into my five story mansion!’” she continued, arms waving as she accentuated her words. “Unless you keep being mean to me. Then you will not be allowed in my mansion.” she shot Himiko a pointed look. 

“I’m sure your work is beautiful!” Tenko assured her, smiling warmly once again. Seeing that grin return hit Himiko with an unexpected wave of relief.  
“You’re too sweet!” Angie cooed, hands clasped to her cheeks. “Himiko, why can’t you be as supportive of my dreams?” she poked at her face, making Himiko give a hiss and slap her hand away. “Anyway, tell me about yourself Tenko! I must say I am intrigued.”

“Oh!” Tenko blushed. “Well, there’s not all that much to know really! I live with my super cool roommate but she’s always busy making weird music so we don’t talk all that much, I work at this coffee shop now, and I like to fight.” she hummed as she ran through the list, a finger touched to her chin as she seemed to be deep in thought. “Yep! That’s about it!”

“You fight? Himiko never mentioned you could fight!” Angie gasped. Himiko looked away, embarrassed that she was just as much a stranger to Tenko as Angie was, not having been bothered to actually ask the girl anything about herself yet. She almost felt guilty that Angie had put in more of an effort in the five minutes they’d been together than Himiko had over the last two days.

“I do a very top secret and exclusive type of fighting called Neo Aikido!” Tenko announced proudly. “I have worked with my master ever since I was a little girl to master the most awesome fighting style you’ll ever see!”

“Simply marvellous!” Angie gasped in awe. “I would be honoured to see some moves sometime!”

Suddenly, an obnoxiously shrill ringtone interrupted the conversation. Angie chirped as she whipped a garishly bright yellow phone out of seemingly nowhere. 

“Awww. gotta fly.” she shrugged dramatically. 

“You’ve been here like, what, ten minutes?” Himiko pointed out, annoyed she’d gone through all this effort just for Angie to pull one of her disappearing acts, but the cheery artist just shrugged. 

“And it was a lovely ten minutes, and now I’m leaving. Love you Himiko.” she ruffled her hair on the way out, only serving to piss her off more. “And it was very nice to meet you, Tenko! I hope we can hang out again soon!” she called over her shoulder, making Tenko beam again. 

A tense silence settled across the table in her absence. 

“You girlfriend is very sweet!” Tenko finally broke it. Her word’s barely registered for a few moments, then it finally clicked. Did Tenko think she’d just made her an unwilling third wheel? That would explain her off behaviour. 

“Huh? Angie is not my girlfriend.” she snorted. “For some reason she’s my best friend, but I can barely even tolerate having her as a roommate. If we dated one of us would have died by now, trust me.” she gave a laugh at the absurdity of it. 

“Oh! I am so sorry for assuming!” Tenko covered her face in embarrassed shock. 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Himiko shrugged. “Sorry if that made you uncomfortable. Angie can be a lot to deal with, I know.” she said softly.

“I do like her, but I can’t really tell if she likes me all that much.” Tenko grimaced. 

“Angie’s just like that. I wouldn’t worry about it.” Himiko shrugged as she picked at her food. “We still have another half hour or so before we need to be back behind the counter.” she pointed out. “Your Aikido thing-”

“Neo Aikido.” Tenko corrected her. 

“Right. Neo Aikido.” Himiko didn’t really see why it mattered all that much, but she kept it to herself. “Why don’t you tell me more about that?”

“You really want to know?” Tenko’s eyes lit up. 

“Sure. We have time.” she smiled. Maybe this time it was truly genuine.


	6. “That’s a lovely melody.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprise rantaro chapter! there will be occasional 'guest' chapters throughout this here is the first >:3c

Rantaro gave an amused whistle. They didn’t think they’d ever seen Himiko truly smile like that before. 

They were glad for her for sure - it was about time she found something to smile about. They worried about their friend - while they knew that Himiko liked to take life at a slower pace, she always just looked so sad and defeated. Perhaps Tenko would help with that. 

The new girl seemed sweet enough, and rantaro hoped that they could befriend the peppy character, greeting her warmly as she and Himiko returned to their work post for the afternoon. She didn’t seem overjoyed by their efforts, but Rantaro didn’t mind. She’d come around eventually. 

The afternoon dragged on, calm and quiet on the shop floor. There were barely any customers, and even less reason for all three of them to be on the clock, instead spending their time finding ways to keep themselves entertained. Rantaro actually preferred the busier days, giving them something to focus on. On sleepy afternoons like this, they found their mind wandering, caught up in daydreams of adventure while they reassembled the counter over and over again. 

Normally they’d ramble to Himiko, but to their surprise she actually seemed to be locked in deep conversation with Tenko, light twinkling in her usually sleepy eyes as she giggled at whatever the overly enthusiastic girl was talking about, her hands waving around frantically. Rantaro wanted to go over and join them, but they resisted, not wanting to interrupt. 

Eventually it was time for their coworkers to go home, Himiko announcing that they were leaving with a yawn. Rantaro gave her a warm smile. 

“I’ll wait for Kirumi and lock up, take care on your way home.” they said earnestly. 

“Thanks ‘Taro. You’re the best.” Himiko smiled sleepily. “Tenko’s gonna walk with me.”

“Oh, that’s sweet! Do you two live in the same direction?” they tilted their head. 

“No, but it’s what any honourable girl would do!” Tenko announced proudly. “I will make sure no degenerates bother Himiko, it’s my duty!”

Rantaro laughed. Himiko lived less than ten minutes away from the store, and they doubted there would be any degenerates on a busy street at six in the afternoon on a Tuesday, but they admired Tenko’s devoted spirit. 

“Well, I hope the two of you have a wonderful evening.” they beamed. 

“You too. I’ll text you later!” Himiko called over her shoulder as she went to gather her things, Tenko close by her side. 

Rantaro returned to their tasks as their coworkers left, a silence falling over the small shop. Rantaro had never liked silence, so they filled the empty air the same way they always did, humming out a tune as they continued cleaning out the cabinet. While it was a job intended for the cleaner, they always tried their best to give the stoic maid a helping hand when they could, despite her protests that it was her ‘duty’. 

“That’s a lovely melody.” Rantaro was pulled from their idle daydreaming by a gentle voice. “Yet I believe I am unfamiliar with it, if you’d kindly enlighten me?”

Rantaro flushed in embarrassment, flicking their hair over their eyes as they struggled to hide their overjoyed grin. “Oh, it’s a tune that Kaede came up with last week. She wouldn’t stop humming it and it got caught in my head as well, I guess.” they tried to act casual. They were fond of Kirumi, looking forward to the time they’d spend together on evening shifts such as this. 

“I would love to hear her play it someday. I’m sure it would be beautiful.” Kirumi mused. Everyone who knew Kaede knew of the girl’s phenomenal musical talents - Rantaro would consider her somewhat of a prodigy when it came to piano. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll quiet down and let you get on with work.” Rantaro apologised, knowing how focused the maid often was on her work. To their surprise, she gave a soft laugh.

“No, no, it’s quite alright. I enjoy the background noise.” she assured them. “Besides, you have a nice voice.” she added as she set to work on the counter.

“Oh, I do?” Rantaro couldn’t hide the blush on their face, grateful the maid was too focused on her task to notice.  
It grew quiet again, so Rantaro resumed their gentle humming. The mood was comfortable and light, and they could barely keep the smile off their face even as they pulled the trash out of the bins, arguably the worst job of them all. 

“Have you been anywhere nice recently?” Kirumi suddenly asked. 

“Oh, of course!” Rantaro lit up. They loved to travel, often taking themself off on impromptu adventures, disappearing for days at a time. If they loved anything more than travelling itself, it was telling their friends about all the places they’d been. “Did I tell you about the little town I visited last weekend?” they shifted from foot to foot where they stood excitedly. 

“No, I’m not sure you have, but I am intrigued.” Kirumi replied. One of the things that Rantaro really appreciated about her was just how genuine she always sounded. Their friends would always listen to their ramblings, but they could always tell when they weren't really listening - or, in their roommate Miu’s case, loudly exclaiming she didn’t care. Kirumi was different, however. She always listened with great attention, asking them questions that prompted yet another set of tangents. 

And so that’s how the rest of the evening went. Rantaro spoke and spoke and spoke until the already dim evening light had faded into the black of night. 

“It appears that I am done.” Kirumi announced. Somehow she still looked perfectly put together after the hour of hard work. Rnataro realised they’d stopped helping at some stage, completely wrapped up in recounting their tale. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I was meant to help!” they flushed. 

“Nonsense, it isn’t your job.” Kirumi insisted, raising a hand. “Besides, you did help me. I find your stories thoroughly entertaining. They are pleasant to listen to while I work.” she smiled sincerely. 

“That means a lot, Kirumi. Thank you.” they smiled back, hanging up their work apron for the evening and double checking everything was necessarily powered off. They escorted Kirumi to the door, holding it open for her with a soft smile. 

“The nights are pleasant this time of year.” Kirumi idly commented as Rantaro fiddled with the store’s lock. She wasn’t wrong - the beginning of fall always brought those warm evenings, just the slightest hint of chill in the breeze to signify the oncoming winter. They both silently took the moment to savour that. 

“See you next week?” Rantaro smiled, almost sadly. 

“I look forward to it.”


	7. "Good job on surviving this long.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nother short transitional chapter oops

“You really didn’t need to do this.” Himiko laughed again. 

The walk was already over, the two girls standing on the front of the dingy apartment building, illuminated by the orange glow of the setting autumn sun.

“Nonsense! It was an honour to protect you on your way home!” Tenko insisted with a huge grin. Himiko laughed at that - she unsurprisingly hadn’t needed all that much protection on the short voyage (though that hadn’t stopped Tenko from glaring at every man they passed).

“Well, tomorrow’s our day off. Good job on surviving this long.” Himiko shrugged. 

“Oh, is it? That sucks.” Tenko huffed. 

“What do you mean? A whole day to do whatever you want. Best day of the week.” Himiko rolled her eyes. 

“But don’t you get bored?” Tenko asked curiously. 

“Not really.” Himiko hummed. Sure, she didn’t really do much with her Wednesdays, but she wouldn’t consider them boring. A day curled up in front of the TV was just what she needed midweek - valuable recharging time. “Just find something fun to do at home.”

“You’re right! I could get in some valuable training time! Or go for a run!” Tenko hummed to herself thoughtfully. Just the thought of it made Himiko feel tired. 

“Nyeh, well, have fun with that. I’ll see you on Thursday, right?” she smiled.

“You can count on it! I’ll miss you tomorrow!” Tenko blinked earnestly. Coming from anyone else, Himiko would have thought it was a joke, but something told her Tenko meant what she was saying. 

With that they parted ways, Himiko looking over her shoulder to see Tenko break into a light jog back in the opposite direction. She had no idea how she had that much energy. She had even less of an idea why she was somewhat sad to see her go. 

Her feelings towards her coworker were still muddled. Sure, Himiko found her tiring, and if you asked her, she’d have no problem admitting that she was annoying. But there was something electric about her in a way Himiko couldn't describe. Was fun the word? Whatever, the whole ordeal was making her head hurt. 

She thankfully unlocked the door to an empty apartment, no sign of Angie. The artist must still be on whatever mystery mission she was summoned for during lunch. Himiko had learnt to stop questioning where the girl went, the few times she had solidifying the idea that she was better off not knowing. 

She pulled out her phone as she crashed on the sofa, kicking off her boots lazily. She pulled up her messages, quickly locating Rantaro and shooting them a message that she’d made it home. She pondered tacking on an apology for ignoring them today, but that would mean actually admitting that she was somewhat enthralled by Tenko’s weird stories of her Neo-Aikido misadventures. A step she wasn’t ready to take right now.

The reply came quickly, a simple thumbs up. She felt a little bad, but she reasoned that her green-haired friend would be fine enough. It was the day they got to spend the closing shift with Kirumi, and Himiko knew that would put them in a good mood. She made a mental note to ask them how it went later on. 

For now she threw down her phone, fighting the urge to pass out there and then, knowing that would warrant an Angie lecture later. She should grab something for dinner as well, right? 

She shuffled over to the kitchen, opening to the fridge and rummaging through the boxes of random food Angie kept there. She couldn’t even tell what half of it even was, but Angie always insisted that it was too important to throw away. Whatever it was, it made this ordeal much more tiring than it should have been. Toast it would be, it seemed. 

The toaster gave a ping, and Himiko grimaced as she pulled out the now slightly charred bread. She hated that toaster. Even on the lowest setting, it incincerated anything it came in contact with. 

Back on the couch with her now ruined dinner, Himiko could only thank whatever gods may be out there for the much needed day of peace she’d get the next day.


	8. “This is a picture of a Roomba?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> miu has entered the chat

Or maybe not. 

Himiko knew she wouldn’t be so lucky. 

When Rantaro asked to drop by, Himiko enthusiastically agreed. Their presence was always nice, and Himiko liked to lazily listen to their tales of adventure. 

So, as scheduled, they turned up, but the Bubble Tea they brought as a peace offering did little to lessen the blow of seeing the human form of chaos standing beside them when they came to the door. 

“Miu wanted to come with, I hope you don’t mind.” they flushed in embarrassment, knowing full well that Himiko very much would mind, but she could hardly blame Rantaro. When Miu decided she wanted to be included in a group activity, there was no getting rid of the loud-mouthed inventor. 

“‘Sup.” Miu gave a lazy wave, not looking up from her phone. 

Himiko wasn’t sure Miu liked her all that much. They were basically strangers, only ever seeing each other when Rantaro bridged that divide. Not that Himiko minded - Miu wasn’t her ideal choice when it came to friends. 

Miu made a beeline for the sofa with unwarranted self confidence, and Rantaro just shrugged. They followed Himiko over to the kitchen, taking a seat at the little kitchen table across from her, the two of them sipping their tea in comfortable quietness. 

“So,” Himiko finally began. “How’d your date night go?”

“Shut up, it was _not_ a date night.” Rantaro grumbled, flipping their hair over their face to try to hide their blush. Himiko rolled her eyes. 

“Ok, fine. How was work then?” she laughed. 

“It was nice. I kinda just talked at her a whole lot. I always think that I overdo it, but she always seems to actually want to listen, no matter what I talk about! It’s nice, y’know?” they gave a smile. 

“Ok, wild thought, but have you considered that she likes to hear you talk because she likes you as well?” Himiko pointed out. 

“No! It’s not like that. She’s just doing her job, right? She kinda has to be nice people.” Rantaro tried to brush it off. Himiko groaned internally, wanting to yell at her friend to go and get their girl, but she knew the mild-mannered adventurer needed a bit more time to work it all out for themself. 

“FUCK!”

Himiko had almost forgotten Miu was there until she gave a loud shout of frustration. 

“Can you losers believe this?” she added with a growl, hopping up to pace the living room, scowling down at her mobile screen with such intense hatred Himiko feared it would burn a hole through the device. 

“Believe what?” Rantaro asked, somewhat cautiously. 

“This!” Miu marched over and shoved the phone in their face.

“This is a picture of a Roomba?” Rantaro blinked in confusion at the seemingly unoffensive image of the cleaning device. 

“Not just any Roomba!” Miu barked back. “It’s Kazuichi fuckin’ Souda’s stupid Roomba!”

“Who?” Rantaro pressed a hand to their temple. Himiko was just as confused, watching the nonsensical conversation with wide eyes. 

“Kazuichi - nevermind, whatever, of course you losers wouldn’t understand.” Miu rolled her eyes. 

“Dare I even ask what it is you’re going on about now?” Rantaro said with the exasperation of an exhausted parent talking to their unruly child. 

“Ok, listen up fuckers, because this is top secret, and I’m only tellin’ ya once. Got it?” Miu pointed at the two of them, who just nodded apprehensively. “Ok, good. You see, there’s this ancient sport that only those in the know can attend, and I am one of those chosen few who actually get to compete.” 

She took a deep breath. “And the only fucker I’m even remotely worried about is that pink-haired virgin, Souda.” She pulled up a picture on her phone to demonstrate. “Normally I’d kick his stupid shark teeth right in - metaphorically speakin’, of course.” she laughed. “But you know who his fuckin teammate is?” 

Again, she pulled up a picture to go along with her presentation. “Chihiro Fujisaki. She’s the biggest brained fucker you’ll meet. Even Souda’s shitty rust-buckets become deadly with that Fujisaki-brand coding. So this easy win just became a fuckin’ losing battle.” 

“I’m sorry, what does this all have to do with Roombas?” Himiko cut in, thoroughly lost. 

“And why do you have these people’s pictures saved?” Rantaro added. 

“That’s irrelevant, avocado.” she snarled. “And to answer red’s question, that’s the whole name of the game, baby!” she gave an obnoxious laugh. “It’s Roomba fightin’! You deck out your little robot friend and then watch ‘em beat the shit out of each other till it’s all over. Last bot standing gets the crown.” she explained as if it were the simplest concept in the world. 

“That sounds somewhat illegal.” Rantaro hummed. 

“What’s illegal?” Angie popped up from behind the counter, making the group jump. Himiko could have sworn she wasn’t there earlier. She couldn’t say she was overjoyed by her addition to this already chaotic situation. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Miu glared at her. 

“And nothing illegal is happening!” Himiko insisted, burying her head in her hands. 

“Boo!” Angie pouted. “And I could ask _you_ the same thing. You are in my apartment, after all.” she pointed at Miu with a scowl. 

“This is red’s apartment.” Miu folded her arms. 

“Yes, and I am her roommate.” 

“You have a roommate?” Miu looked at Himiko in confusion. “You never told me!”

“We never talk.” Himiko retorted.

“Oh, true.” Miu shrugged. “And I don’t think Roomba fightin’ is like, actually _illegal_ , so don't worry your green messy head.” she grinned at Rantaro. They didn’t look all that comforted.

“Roomba fighting?” Angie gasped. “Sounds dreadfully barbaric! I’m very interested.” she leaned forwards with a smile.

“Sorry sunshine, it’s a top-secret thing.” Miu smirked. 

“Well, I already know about it now, surely?” Angie pointed out. “You literally just spoke about it in front of me.”

“Shit. Guess I can’t argue with that!” Miu hummed thoughtfully. “Whatever. I dig your energy, so I guess you’re all invited.” she beamed. 

“Invited to what?” Rantaro groaned. “Miu, I want no part of whatever the hell it is you’re up to-”

“Relax! You don’t gotta like, do anything.” she laughed. “You’re invited to the finale night. It’s gonna be a big show, we got a food truck and chairs and everything!” she insisted. “Sure, it’s not like, _an advertised thing_ , and sure, it’s held in the parking lot behind that abandoned supermarket down near the school, but it’s not anything dodgy. I promise.” 

“None of what you just said inspires any confidence in me.” they deadpanned. 

“Akane’s gonna get us some fireworks.” Miu added, as if that were a valid selling point. 

“And that just made it even worse.” Rantaro narrowed their eyes.

“Well, I’m going!” Angie chimed, swaying from side to side. “Illegal fireworks, bad food, and robot violence? All in one night? How divine!” she almost purred. 

“This fucker gets it!” Miu cheered. “Come on, ‘Taro. Keebs is goin’.” she shrugged. 

“You managed to get Kiibo to agree to go to your underground Roomba deathmatch?” they blinked in shock. 

“I’ll do ya one better - he’s my teammate!” she gave a laugh. 

“Everyday I am more and more disappointed in all of you.” they groaned. “Himiko, please tell me you at least have some sense?”

She thought for a moment. “Nyeh, it _does_ sound tiring…” she hummed. “But then again, someone’s gotta babysit Angie and make sure she doesn’t like, jump into the ring or something.” she countered herself. “Besides. It’ll be funny to watch when something inevitably goes wrong.”

“Haha! Come on, avocado!” Miu poked at them. “Even red’s in, and she’s like, the most boring person in the world.”

“I’m literally still sitting right here.” Himiko hissed. 

“Come on, you know I’m right.” Miu just scoffed. “Besides, you can invite your weird goth girlfriend.” she added. 

“My what now?” Rantaro blinked. 

“Cleaning lady. Don’t act dumb now.”

“Kirumi? She’s not my girlfriend, first of all, and second, why would I take her to this of all things?” 

“It is a memorable first date!” Angie chimed in, earning a glare from the flustered explorer. 

“It wouldn’t be a date either way.” they insisted, but their face was growing increasingly redder with every passing moment. “But fine! Fine! You broke me! I’ll go!” they admitted defeat, throwing their hands up. “But I am literally just there to make sure none of you get yourselves killed or arrested.” 

“But that’s part of the fun!” Angie giggled. 

“I literally hate you all.” Rantaro grumbled. 

Himiko just laughed to herself, finding the whole ordeal to be rather amusing. If this proved anything, it assured that whatever this event ended up being, it’d at least be entertaining. Perhaps it would be the type of thing Tenko would enjoy - where had that thought come from suddenly? She pushed it away just as quickly as it had appeared. 

“It’s in a month’s time, mark the date.” Miu cheered triumphantly. “Trust me, this is going to be wild.”


	9. "Could I maybe ask your name?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nother short one, kaemaki enjoyers u will get ur food eventually do not worry

Maki liked simplicity. 

It was a welcome respite from the bustling insanity that was her day to day life working at the orphanage, her job never failing to throw a new challenge at her everyday. Despite her outwardly cold demeanor, the kids had a tendency to cling to her like she was a magnet. She told herself that she didn’t even like the little bastards, but she also knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to end the life of anyone who dared lay a hand on them. 

Her lunch break was always welcomed, and Maki always found herself back at the same place. It was, upon first expectation, totally unremarkable. Passable food, decent coffee, but here she was again, standing in line. 

One black coffee. It was what she always got. Simple. Easy. It’s not like it was the coffee itself that brought her here.

Maki liked to people-watch. While she liked to keep her associates at arm’s length, she found amusement in watching the interactions of strangers, and there was no greater place to do that than right here. The hole-in-the-wall coffee house sure attracted some interesting characters, and even when the other customers were unremarkable, the staff never failed to provide a show. 

The best days were when the little gremlin looking dude would show up. It had taken Maki weeks to even figure out he actually worked there, as his coworkers just seemed to be pissed off with his very existence most of the time. Especially the monotone redhead - it was perhaps one of the only times Maki ever saw her display any type of emotion.

Then there was the pretty one with the messy green hair. They had a relaxing aura about them, and Maki greatly admired their sense of style. She also found it funny to see their growing exasperation with the circus they worked with. 

Next was the tall dude with the ridiculously styled purple hair. He radiated a powerful, yet ultimately stupid energy, but Maki had to admit he wasn’t unnatractive. Textbook himbo, you could even say. Most of his attention, however, seemed to be wrapped up in the short emo boy who couldn’t ever seem to make eye contact under his long bangs and whose voice trembled when he took her order. 

The gangly ball of energy seemed to be a new addition, her movements always slightly too erratic and her voice ever so slightly too loud. She looked annoying, but more in the way an excited puppy was, lacking the malice of the gremlin boy. 

Finally, there was the one that Maki always found herself gazing at with an intrigue she could never really make sense of herself. The cute girl with the long blonde hair, always wearing those tacky musical hair clips and some garish pink sweater. On anyone else, Maki would find them stupid, but this girl managed to pull it off with a stylish cuteness she couldn’t fully comprehend. It was stupid - utterly stupid, but Maki found herself thinking about her a whole lot, even long after her hour of peace was over. She silently cursed her and her sing-songy voice and bright smile as she finally got to the front of the line. 

“Black coffee?” It was the bored looking girl behind the counter today, already knowing her order by now. She simply nodded her confirmation, handing over the money she had prepared in her pocket in silence. Simple and easy. 

As routine, she pulled out her phone to flick through random apps with disinterest as she waited, listening to the hushed giggles and chattering from behind the counter. Did they really think she couldn’t tell they were talking about her? 

“Here’s your coffee-” the bright and cheery blonde bounced over, enthusiasm radiating from her. 

“Just how I like it. Thanks.” Maki felt the corners of her mouth fight to curl into a small smile, but she battled back the urge. She had taken herself by surprise a bit. This was the first time she’d said anything more than a hushed thank you before. The girl seemed just as floored. 

They both just stared at each other for an awkward moment. Maki felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. She’d never noticed it before, but the girl had the prettiest pink eyes she’d ever seen. 

“Sorry if this is weird, but could I maybe ask your name?” the barista stammered out at last, regaining her composure. Maki however, stayed frozen to the spot for a moment longer. 

“I, uh, only if you tell me yours first.” She winced as the hitch in her voice that completely shattered the intimidating and mysterious image she tried so desperately to give off. 

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu.” the girl - _Kaede_ \- smiled. It was a pretty name. Fitting. 

“Maki Harukawa.” she nodded back. 

With that, she turned tail and headed for the door, leaving the puzzled blonde behind. She’d let down her guard, and she cursed herself as her brain flipped the ‘run’ switch as it always did in situations like these. She just had to get away - that’s the only thing that made sense to her. 

It wasn’t until she was half way down the street she realised her drink was in fact not in a take out cup.


	10. “When people say not all men, they’re talking about Gonta.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this wasnt meant to take this long i just forgot how to write for a week lol

“I ruined it! I knew that was a stupid idea!” Kaede groaned as she leant against the counter, head in her hands as she hunched over dramatically. 

“You didn’t ruin it. Get up, we have customers.” Himiko hissed at her, knowing she was causing a scene. The customer at the front of the line, a girl with long blue hair and glasses that Himiko recognised as a regular, gazed over with concern as Tenko was frantically collecting the orders. 

“You good Kaede?” she called over, and the blonde raised her head, giving a smile as she recognised her. 

“Tsumugi!” she chirped, her previous sorrows all but forgotten for the moment as she waved at her friend. “Just had a bit of a crisis, but I’m strong, and I can get through this, so don’t you worry!”

“Nice to see you rejoin us, to celebrate your new bout of self-worth, why not get started on this order?” Himiko rolled her eyes, pushing a ticket into Kaede’s hand. She pouted at her, but thankfully got to work once again, chattering to Tsumugi over the counter as she did so. 

Just in time too, it seemed, as from the shadows emerged Shinguji, moving as silently and stealthily as ever. It was the one time a week his appearance was guaranteed, ignoring them all to gaze expectantly at the side entrance. Just on cue, it cracked open to reveal what seemed to be a stack of boxes that had somehow sprouted legs. 

“Ah, Gonta. It is good to see you.” the manager purred with what Himiko assumed was genuine happiness. A messy mane of dark green hair appeared from behind the boxes, followed by that big grin that everyone loved so much. 

Gonta Gokuhara was everyone’s best friend. While he may only arrive once a week to haul in the supplies for the store, his visit was anticipated by everyone, especially Shinguji. 

“Gonta is pleased to see everyone!” the delivery boy exclaimed. “Seeing friends is always a sure way to brighten the day!” 

Himiko couldn’t help but smile. Whenever Gonta was around, his infectious optimism seemed to rub off even on her. She glanced over at Tenko, and even she didn’t seem to be as rattled by his presence as she normally was when meeting men. He disappeared off towards the store room, Shinguji uncharacteristically chatty as he asked him about how his week went. 

“Who’s that?” Tenko blinked once the coast was clear. 

“Gonta Gokuhara. He works for the delivery company that provides like, everything for this place.” Himiko informed her. “He drops by on Thursdays, and everyone loves him.”

“Despite being a male, I don’t sense any degeneracy from him.” Tenko hummed thoughtfully. “He must be a good man.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.” Kaede chimed in.

“When people say not all men, they’re talking about Gonta.” Tsumugi added enthusiastically. 

“It’s true.” Himiko nodded with a hum. “You need help with something? Gonta’s on it. He’ll help the elderly cross the road, he’ll change your car tire for you, carry your groceries - he’s like a stereotypical superhero movie level good dude.”

“Once, Ouma dipped on me during a busy shift, and Gonta happened to be in the store that day, so you know what he did? He put on the apron and he helped me make all the drinks.” Kaede beamed as she reminisced. “To be honest, he wasn’t very good at it, but he was so eager to help me it gave me the boost I needed to get through it.”

“I see! A fellow warrior dedicated to helping out girls!” Tenko gasped. “I will hold him in high regards.”

Himiko laughed at the odd response, so wonderfully Tenko. She puzzled over why she thought that so fondly for a split second, but quickly caught herself, switching her focus back to cutting through the tickets they’d gathered from lunch rush. 

By the time the customer flow had slowed back to a trickle again, Himiko gave a relieved sigh. It was almost the end of their shift judging by the clock on the wall.

“Thank you for your assistance as always, Gonta.” she was surprised to hear Shinguji’s voice again. Had the two been restocking this whole time? It seemed unlikely.

“No problem, Korekiyo!” Gonta beamed. Himiko was slightly shocked when Shinguji didn’t snap to correct him. He’d made it clear his first name was strictly off limits for those who worked there, they’d learnt that that hard way when Kaito had casually asked him about his weekend one fateful morning. “If they come back, be sure to let me know! If needed I will take them home and care for them there!” Gonta added. Now Himiko was even more confused. 

“They?” Kaede hummed and tilted her head. 

“The little family of roaches!” Gonta beamed all too enthusiastically for someone talking about a bug infestation. “Korekiyo told Gonta that they were living in the back of the storage room, so Gonta talked to them and got them to leave!” the tall man gave a hearty laugh. Himiko wasn’t sure what part of that statement concerned her the most. 

“Bugs and ghosts? See, I told y’all that storage room is cursed.” Kaito laughed, announcing his arrival, Shuichi at his side as always. 

“The store room is not cursed, you’re just a pussy.” Kaede rolled her eyes at him, earning a glare from Shinguji at her language. “Oops, sorry.” she gritted her teeth. 

“Well, with that I believe there is no further need for such idle chit chat. You three, your shift is over, so may I request you promptly leave?” Shinguji narrowed his eyes at Himiko, Tenko and Kaede. “And Momota, I would appreciate it if you refrained from loudly proclaiming our ghost and roach status to the customers.” he hummed, gesturing to where Tsumugi was still staring, wide eyed at the exchange. 

“Wait, wait, wait - are you implying that there are ghosts?” Kaito gasped. 

“No comment.” Shinguji placed a hand on his temple in exasperation. “I am returning to my office. Gonta, thank you for your service, everyone else, please resume your tasks for the afternoon.” 

And with that, he was gone again. Himiko was glad that she could finally get out of this pit of crazy at last. 

“Well, you heard him, I’m outta here.” Himiko declared, making a beeline for the door. Normally she’d wait on Kaede, but she was in a rush today. 

“Himiko! Wait up!” she jumped as Tenko popped up beside her as she headed out the door. 

“Oh, hey.” Himiko mumbled.

“I’ll walk you home again!” Tenko declared. Himiko fought back the urge to tell her to leave her alone, but she chose to be polite. It’s not like it’d hurt to let the girl walk with her. “Unless you want to go and grab some lunch? Like, with me?” 

“I’ve got somewhere to be, sorry.” Himiko hummed, her tone coming across a lot harsher than she intended. _Shit_. She practically saw the light drain from Tenko’s eyes, the girl deflating beside her. She wanted to apologise, explain herself, but her brain didn’t want to seem to let her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.” Tenko offered a half smile. “I’ll leave you be then, have fun this afternoon!”

“Yeah, you too.” Himiko hummed.

And with that they parted ways.


	11. "And I’m just… Tenko.”

It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t a big deal _at all_ , right? It literally didn’t mean anything. Not that Himiko hated her, or didn’t ever want to see her ever again - so why was her brain doing the most to convince her all that was true right now?

Tenko Chabashira didn't really know how to handle rejection, it was something she was acutely aware of. Her rational side was always fighting a losing battle against the panicked part of her brain, getting tired of batting back reflections to every clouded insecurity that cropped up one after the other. 

So she ran. 

Tenko liked to run. She liked to fight. She liked to move - when she could focus all her energy into doing something, she didn’t even have the time to worry. 

She didn’t really know where she was running, letting her legs take her wherever they saw fit. It’s not like she had anything better to do, anywhere to be - anyone to spend time with, her afternoon now painfully free. Painfully lonely.

And there it was again. That little nagging voice. She pushed herself to move more, her jog turning into a full blown sprint, darting along the streets like a scared animal, dodging pedestrians and gracefully leaping over cracks in the asphalt. 

By the time she stopped, she found herself at the doorstep of a familiar building, doubling over as her lungs burnt from the exertion. The small dojo had become a safe haven for the girl, giving her a place to fight away her thoughts. 

So that’s what she did.

Tenko struck and kicked and kicked and struck until her arms and legs burnt, breath coming in short huffs. It had worked, her mind wonderfully clear for the first time in days as she wrapped herself up in her training. 

“There is some aggression in your routine today. Are you alright, Chabashira?” A gravelly, yet soothing voice murmured from the doorway. Tenko turned to see Sakura Ogami, immediately gasping and dipping into a respectful bow. She admired the heavily muscled girl, recognised as one of the strongest women in the entire country. 

“Yes, I am quite alright, thank you!” she all but barked, not wanting to waste the girl’s time. She was sure she had places to be as well, no time to waste on someone like _her_. 

“I can tell that is untrue.” Sakura grunted, crossing her arms. “If it would help you to talk about whatever is bothering you, I am happy to listen.” she added, warmth in her tone. Tenko’s cheeks flushed unwillingly, to her dismay. 

“I really don’t want to waste your time! Someone like you shouldn’t be bothered with my petty sorrows.” Tenko insisted. Sakura snorted to herself.

“Someone like me? Whatever does that mean?” she hummed. 

“You know, you’re important! You’re the strongest woman in the country, maybe the world! And I’m just… Tenko.” she mumbled, unsure of just how to explain herself. She did admit, it sounded stupid when she said it out loud.

“My strength does not make me any better than you, Chabashira. Besides, I have to wait for Hina to finish her swimming class anyway, so if you want to talk, I want to listen.” she took a seat on one of the benches, gesturing for Tenko to sit down beside her. The girl hesitated, still unsure if Sakura was just being polite, but she finally gave in, flopping down on the uncomfortable seat. She was starting to feel the burn from her afternoon of intense exercise, rubbing her sore hands together. 

“Could I ask you about that, actually?” Tenko mumbled shyly. 

“About what?” Sakura hummed.

“About Asahina. How did you know that you cared for her? Like, as more than a friend?” she looked away, embarrassed at even having asked such a personal question. 

“Oh?” Sakura gave a laugh, a small smile on her face. “Well, I cared for her as a friend first, you know?” there was a warm look in her eyes as she spoke. “Then I realised that I was happiest when I was with her, and that I wanted nothing more than to make her happy. Apparently, she felt the same way, and somewhere along the road it just happened.” she hummed. “It’s honestly a hard feeling to put into words.”

Tenko hummed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her head on them thoughtfully. 

“So, which girl has you in such a tizzy?” Sakura added with a smirk, glancing over at her. Tenko’s face burnt bright red. 

“Noone! Nothing, it’s not like that - I just -” Tenko stammered. “I’m not sure if it even is anything yet, you know?” she gave a heavy sigh. “I started working at this coffee shop, and maybe there’s a girl there who’s kind of cute, but it doesn’t mean anything. She doesn’t even like me anyway.” she grumbled.

“How do you know that she doesn’t like you?” Sakura asked.

“I asked her if she wanted to hang out today, and she said she had ‘places to be’, so that obviously means she hates me.” Tenko huffed.

“Chabashira, how long have you known this girl?”

“I don’t know. Like, a week?” she realised what she had just said as she said it.  
“Then there is your issue, I’m sure you realise that.” Sakura gave a laugh. “I know it’s easy to get carried away when you meet a girl you like, but you need to relax a bit, even if it’s hard.” Sakura placed a strong hand on her shoulder. “Her being busy once does not mean she hates you. Give her some time, and give her some space. I’d advise you to get to know her a little more first. Do you know her favourite colour? Her hobbies?” 

Tenko flushed in embarrassment. “I guess not. You’re right, thank you Sakura.” She gave the kind girl a smile. 

“Sakuraaaaa!” A loud shout came from the doorway, and in a flash Aoi Asahina had leapt up into the girl’s lap like an excited puppy, wrapping her arms around her neck. You’d think they’d been separated for years the way Hina always greeted her girlfriend, despite never being more than a couple hours apart the entirety of their two year long relationship. If you needed a reason to believe in true love, you just had to look at the two of them. 

“How was your class, Hina?” Sakura mumbled, a light blush on her cheeks as she pressed a kiss to her energetic girlfriend’s forehead. 

“It was so good!” Hina beamed. “Jataro is really starting to get some confidence, and Monaca only dunked the other kids twice!” she giggled. “I believe in them! They’re a good group of kids.” it was only then that Hina seemed to notice tenko’s presence. “Oh hey! Haven’t seen you in a while, you doin good?” she tilted her head. Tenko enjoyed chatting with her whenever they ran into each other. 

“I’m great! I’ve got a job now, working hard!” she grinned back. 

“Yay! Go Tenko!” Hina cheered. “But we gotta dash, there’s a box of donuts with my name on it all alone at home, and who am I to keep ‘em waiting?” she giggled. 

“Good luck, Chabashira. I believe in you.” Sakura called over her shoulder as the pair left. 

Tenko smiled. Maybe she would be alright.


	12. “I already told you - I’m a mage!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> apparently ppl are reading this so uh. hi gfdfsg

How was her hat still crooked? 

Himiko grumbled as she fumbled with it in the mirror again, acutely aware of the time ticking away until she was needed on stage. 

“Himiko? What in the dark lord’s name are you doing in there?” her stage partner’s dramatic voice called from the other side of the door, rapping his knuckles against it. Gundham Tanaka was a strange character, but one Himiko was fond of, with his exaggerated speech and the whole ‘dark overlord’ aesthetic he had going on.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.” Himiko muttered, throwing open the door.

“You look simply magical as always! Now let’s get out there and knock those children dead!” Gundham exclaimed, striking his signature villain pose. Himiko couldn’t help but laugh at his theatrics.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t aim to kill any children.” she pointed out, with a signature eye roll. 

You wouldn’t think it from looking at her, but Himiko truly did love to be on the stage. The one time the girl came alive was when she was performing her magic to a captivated crowd - said crowd just happened to be rowdy ten year olds at birthday parties more often than not. Barista by day, powerful mage by night - that was Himiko Yumeno, like some superhero with a whole secret life, just a lot less impressive than in the movies. 

And wherever Himiko performed, Gundham would be at her side, playing the heinous villain for her to defeat. He always looked the part - tall and dramatic, donned in a long black coat and flowing scarf, grey hair and a matching scar across his eye (that totally wasn’t makeup, shut up mortal!). But despite his appearance, he was a total sweetheart. 

The real stars of the show, however, resided in said scarf. The ‘Dark Devas of Destruction’, as Gundham called them, were the man’s troupe of highly trained trick hamsters. Himiko didn’t even know you _could_ train hamsters at all until she met Gundham, but he seemed to have the talent of some Disney princess when it came to talking to the creatures.

“Alright. Let’s do this.” she grinned. 

The crowd cheered as the show came to an end, Gundham falling to his knees. 

“You fiend!” He gasped dramatically. “I thought I would never be bested by a foolish mortal such as yourself.” he growled. Himiko smirked.

“That’s because I am no mere mortal!” she announced, voice loud and commanding. “I already told you - I’m a mage!” she shouted, pulling the hat off her head to release a dove, the snowy bird fluttering away with a puff of smoke. The crowd cheered as she bowed, soaking up the attention with a wide grin. Gundham brushed himself off, standing beside her. 

“Good show.” Gundham hummed as they packed up the last of their props, carefully balancing a sleeping hamster in one hand. They didn’t often talk in the quiet hours after a show, both of them exhausted.

“When is it not?” Himiko laughed. “We kill it every time.”

“Indeed we do!” Gundham laughed. “Perhaps one day we will perform side by side on all the best stages in the world!” he laughed, eyes lighting up at the thought. Himiko knew it was a dream of his, to take him and his animal family all around the world, showing off his talent. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she didn’t share his dreams.

Sure, she loved their performances, but the idea of the world’s eyes on her was not something she desired. She was a creature of habit, and she was perfectly content with the way things were.

“Yeah, maybe one day.” she smiled half heartedly. 

“You need not lie to me, Yumeno.” he shook his head as he smiled at her softly, eyes full of understanding. “Whilst I could wish for no better stage partner than you, I know it is not within your heart to chase such materialistic desires. It’s a rather admirable trait.” he assured her. Gundham was like that, always seeing through her. Perhaps some of his skill with animals was transferable to understanding other people. It’s a skill she wished she had.

“Oh, trust me, I’d love the money.” she laughed. It wasn’t that she was some free spirit who didn’t care for capitalistic ideals. “I just don’t think I’d like being seen all that much. I love to do magic, I really do, but this is just right, you know?” she gestured around. “Kids parties are fun, and they’re easy. It doesn’t take much effort to wow a ten year old, and seeing them smile is kinda nice.” 

“I understand entirely my friend!” Gundham hummed, jolting his hand dramatically, seeming to forget the slumbering hamster. The little animal grumbled in annoyance, Gundham instantly gasping. “Forgive me, my wonderful Cham-P!” he gasped, bowing his head to the plump orange rodent. They stared each other down, before the hamster curled back up into a ball, resuming its nap. Gudham gave a sigh of relief. “Cham-P has chosen to forgive me this time, but I better not anger him further.” he whispered.

Himiko couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t sure what ungodly rage the small animal could bring down upon her eccentric friend, but she admired his dedication to his beloved pets. 

“Anyway, how’s it going with you and Miss Nevermind?” Himiko hummed, causing Gudham’s face to flush. He nestled down into his scarf until just his eyes were visible, clearing trying to hide his pink tinted smile from her. 

“Sonia and I have been doing just fine.” he mumbled, words muffled by the fabric. Much like Himiko, Gundham wasn’t one to talk much about his love life, but she knew he was rather fond of the starry eyed girl. Himiko had heard she was some daughter of some royal family of a country she’d never heard of, but she only ever seemed to hang out with Gundham, amazed by his animal magic. 

“I’m happy for you either way. Go get her.” she laughed.

She went home that day with a smile on her face.


	13. “You’re a disaster, Iruma.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> h

“Huh?” 

Angie swayed from side to side as Rantaro stared her down, evidently confused by her sudden appearance at their door. 

“I said, Angie is here to see Miu, silly!” she giggled again. 

“Oh. Alright, come in I guess?” She couldn’t exactly blame them for being confused. She didn’t exactly _ask_ Miu if she could come over. It wasn’t like she even had a way to contact the girl to do so - sure, she didn’t know anything about her, but something told Angie that she had to see her again - call it a sign from above, perhaps? 

She followed Rantaro into the apartment, immediately hit with the loud sound of metallic screeching. That explained why Rantaro looked like they were about to keel over and die, mug of coffee shaking in their fist. 

“Hey! Miu, your friend’s here!” they yelled. Miu’s head popped around the doorframe to the next room, pushing up her goggles with one hand.

“I don’t have friends.” she grunted, clearly annoyed at being disturbed from whatever the hell she was doing. She blinked at Angie. “Oh. It’s you.”

“It’s me!” Angie beamed. 

“Why are you here?” Miu asked bluntly.

“Wait, you didn’t invite her?” Rantaro groaned. 

“No need for an invite!” Angie hushed them. “Your robot project. I am here to help you. I have a great vision for this quest, and I just had to share it with you!” she insisted. 

“Thanks, honey, but I don’t really need any help. That’s what I got Keebs for.” Miu grunted, folding her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. Angie couldn’t help but admire the sight - boiler suit tied at the waist, long messy hair cascading over her shoulders carelessly. Her intuition seemed to be right after all. 

“Did you not know? I’m an artist, and not just any artist. I’m _the_ Angie Yonaga - it is an honour to receive my guidance.” Angie pouted. Miu’s face didn’t change. 

“Never heard of ya.” Miu shrugged. “But whatever! I don’t really care. You can come see if you really want - but I do _not_ need help.” she shrugged. 

“Divine!” Angie bounced over to join her, peering into the room curiously. It appeared to be a bedroom judging by the furnishing, but every other inch of the room screamed some sort of steampunk workshop. Much to her surprise, a sressed out looking looking boy was also sitting awkwardly beside the desk. 

“Don’t mind Keebs, he don’t bite.” Miu laughed. 

“Oh, are you a friend of Miu’s?” the boy asked politely. He seemed to be the messy inventor’s polar opposite, dressed in a cleanly pressed shirt buttoned all the way to the top, paired with a striped blue tie. Angie found the contrast quite amusing. 

“She ain’t.” Miu answered for her. 

“I’m a friend of a friend of a friend!” Angie chimed in. 

“Oh? Alright?” Kiibo seemed to be confused by the whole situation. Angie didn’t really know what there was to be confused about - she wanted to be here, and now she was. 

“Well, here’s what ya came to see.” Miu huffed, pointing at the pile of sorry looking robotic parts scattered across the desk. Angie blinked at it in disbelief. 

“This is your Roomba?” she blinked. 

“It will be!” Miu growled. “I took it apart to give it some killer upgrades.” she boasted. 

“You’re just gonna leave out the fact you lost the plans and can’t remember how to put it back together?” Kiibo shot her a stern gaze. Miu returned it, sticking out her tongue for good measure. 

“I thought I hired you as moral support. This is not moral support!”

“You didn’t hire me to do anything, I’m not getting paid for this.” 

Angie watched the two bicker, swaying from side to side once again. To be honest, she didn’t really have any idea of how to build a death Roomba, but Miu intrigued her too much to let it just slide. She hadn’t been able to get the loud mouthed girl off her mind since she left the day prior, and if Angie wanted something, Angie did her damn best to go out and get it. 

“Would you cut that out, ya fuckin bobble head?” Miu snapped at her. “If you wanna stick around, I don’t care, but I gotta try and focus.”

“Oh, sorry!” Angie giggled. “I’m just excited.”

“Why? Ain’t shit to be excited about.” Miu huffed, 

“I’m excited for the chance to get to know you!” Angie exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Angie and Miu will be the best of friends, I just know it!” 

Miu’s face changed, twisting slightly as she screwed up her nose, blushing furiously. It was undeniably one of the cutest things Angie had ever seen. 

“Damn right you sh-should be happy!” Miu tried to bite back, but she stammered and tripped over her words in her flustered state. “I’m Miu fuckin’ Iruma, the girl genius! Not many people get the chance to just casually know me, so thank God that you get this blessing!” she grinned. 

“Blessed indeed!” Angie cooed, wiggling her shoulders again. Miu was back to a blushing, stuttering mess, Kiibo looking on with tired apathy.

“You’re a disaster, Iruma.” he sighed. “Do you want me to beg Rantaro for another new Roomba and admit defeat already?”

“No! Just gotta find those stupid blueprints and I got this!” MIu insisted, rustling around the absolute bombsite of a workbench. Angie calmly watched, until her eyes came to settle on a rolled up piece of paper that had seemingly got stuck between the desk and the wall. She reached for it, unravelling it to see a bunch of scrawled drawings. 

“Is this what Miu is looking for?” she hummed, holding it up. The inventor’s eyes widened as she gave a shout of victory. 

“Holy shit! How’d you do that?” Miu exclaimed. 

“Just my intuition.” Angie shrugged nonchalantly. “People tell me I just have a sort of sixth sense, you know?”

“Then shit, better keep you around!” Miu laughed. “You’re on the team!”

“So the requirements for the team are ‘can see’ and ‘doesn’t lose a piece of paper’ now?” Kiibo commented. “Thought this was top secret and exclusive.”

“Shut it Kee-boy, not like you’re exactly contributing.” Miu growled. 

“Cause you won’t let me.” he deadpanned. 

Angie watched their exchange with amusement. Despite their harsh words, there was no real anger in their voices, the air light and playful. She was glad to have made the decision to invite herself in.

“Yo, sunny, what’s your name again?” Miu hummed, leaning her head on one hand as she looked Angie up and down. 

“Her name’s Angie. She said it enough times.” Kiibo pointed out. 

“Bold of you to assume I was listening.” Miu shrugged. 

“You’re funny, Miu!” Angie gave a chirp.

“I’m not fuckin’ funny, I just say what’s on my mind.” Miu grumbled as she lay the messy blueprints down on the desk, brow furrowed as she looked over them thoughtfully. Angie gazed over her shoulder, but it all looked like straight up nonsense to her. “Will ya stop hanging over my shoulder like that? It’s fuckin’ putting me off my game.”

“You have no game.” Kiibo mumbled. Miu launched a screwed up ball of paper at his head in retaliation. 

Unsure of what to do with herself, Angie flopped down into an armchair beside Kiibo, her gaze on Miu as she worked, tongue sticking out in concentration. Kiibo seemed to be regarding her with suspicion, but she didn’t mind. 

“Fuckin’ done! Look at that!” Miu finally gave a shout of victory. She proudly held up her creation, which both Kiibo and Angie blinked at in disappointment. 

“The killer upgrade… was a knife?” Kiibo asked. 

“Yeah. What about it?” Miu huffed, holding the Roomba to her chest like a protective mother. 

“Is that taped on?” Kiibo continued. “Why the hell did you need to take it apart?” he groaned.

“I’m gonna keep it real with you keebs, I just really wanted to take it apart for the hell of it.” Miu shrugged. “Besides. It’s a Roomba. There ain't much you can do with it.” She looked at the cleaning device in her hands thoughtfully. 

“Well Angie thinks it’s amazing!” Angie chimed in. 

“Now that’s the reaction I was looking for!” Miu pointed at her and gave a cheer. 

“Sorry that we don’t all have low standards.” Kiibo grumbled. 

“You’ve been hangin’ out with Rantaro too much, you’re startin’ to sound like them.” Miu huffed. “If you think you can do a better job, be my guest.”

“Leave it with me.” Kiibo sighed, gathering up the blueprints and the abused robot and storming out of the room, door swinging shut behind him. 

“Mission accomplished.” Miu cheered once the coast was clear. 

“Mission?” Angie tilted her head.

“My man Kiibo is a fuckin’ robotics genius.” Miu smirked. “I knew if I played dumb long enough he’d do all the hard work for me. I know him too well.” 

“Wow, how wonderfully sly! So you may be smart as you claim after all.” Angie giggled. 

“I’m not called the girl genius for nothin’, sunshine.” Miu laughed. “I’m insulted you’d even doubt it for a minute!” she picked up a wrench from the bench, tossing it into the air. Angie assumed she meant to catch it as it slipped through her fingers, making her curse loudly as she bent down to retrieve the tool, subsequently hitting her head off the desk with a thump as she got back up.

“Huh.” was all Angie could muster in response between giggles. 

“Look, truth is I could breeze this project and take home the gold no problem, but where’s the fun in that?” Miu shrugged, rubbing the back of her head and wincing slightly. “Besides, I legally cannot pass up a chance to fuck with Keebs. It’s like, international best friends code or whatever.” 

“Oh, I understand!” Angie gasped. She thought fondly of all of the fun times she shared with Himiko where the sleepy girl continually exclaimed her hatred for both the activity and Angie. “Someone who sees the value in a little bit of chaos. I respect that.” she nodded. 

“Hey, maybe you were right about us bein’ good friends.” Miu hummed. “You ain’t as annoying as I first thought.”

“Awww, Miu-”

“Still annoying though. Don’t push it.” she groaned. 

It was a start.


End file.
